Now's the Time
by laugh-cry-live
Summary: *Spoilers for Fallen Kingdom* Claire and Owen are following Wheatley's men as they take the dinosaurs off the boat and load them onto trucks. As they follow the caravan down the winding roads, unsure of what will happen next, they realize that "now's the time" to say what should have been said a long time ago.


The sun was setting on the winding California roads that Wheatley's men navigated. Owen and Claire had been following the vehicle ahead of them for almost an hour. With trucks in front of and behind them, there was no way they could detour from the path Wheatley had planned. Nor did they want to. They both had to see this to the end and try to save the captured dinosaurs - and Blue.

Claire was exhausted. Even with the adrenaline still pumping through her body, she found her eyelids getting heavy as the last ray of sun slipped below the horizon.

She tried to distract herself by looking around the truck. She had already crawled in the back when they started the drive to see if there were any weapons - anything they could use to face whatever might be coming when the caravan finally arrived at its unknown destination. They came up with a crowbar, a rope and a tranquilizer and had rolled them up in an old t-shirt she had found lying in the back.

Owen noticed her stirring and glanced her way. "Claire, close your eyes for a few minutes. I'll wake you up if anything changes." He nodded to the road ahead of him.

"No. No, I'm awake." Claire smoothed her hair back and adjusted her ponytail.

Owen smirked. She always had to be in control. Even in a situation as uncertain as the one they were in at that moment, Claire Dearing was going to do what Claire Dearing wanted to do. He let his eyes linger on her a little longer as she took one last glance around the truck, then turned his attention back to the road.

A few more moments ticked by with nothing but the roar of the truck's engine.

"Listen, Owen…" Claire started, unsure if there would be another time to say what she had been wanting to say for the last 12 hours, "I'm sor…"

"Stop." Owen interrupted, putting his hand up, "Don't try to take the blame for…"

"No. Owen, this is my fault. I wanted so badly to save these dinosaurs. To make up for…" she trailed off, not wanting to finish that statement. "I shouldn't have involved you. Now we're on our way to God knows where. Who knows if we'll even get through this?" Claire finished, the truth in her last comment causing her throat to tighten.

Owen glanced at her long enough to see a single tear slide down her cheek. It wasn't her way to break down. Not when there was work to do. Not yet. That's one of the things he admired about her.

For a moment he said nothing, then placed his hand over hers where it rested in her lap.

"Claire…" His tone was tender, "We'll stick together and we'll do what we have to do, and we _will_ make it through this. I promise." He smirked to help lift her mood and she half-heartedly smiled back. When he said they'd survive, she believed him.

"You know," Owen continued, "No matter what you think, I _chose_ to go on this trip. You didn't force me."

"I know, but I shouldn't have used Blue to try to talk you into going. I know how much she means to you, and I shouldn't have exploited that."

There was silence in the truck while Owen navigated the curves in the road.

Then, almost as if to himself, Owen said, "I didn't go because of Blue."

A little louder now, he continued, "I went because I couldn't let you go alone. Not back into that _hell._ "

Claire closed her eyes and briefly recalled the weeks, the months, following the park disaster. Though Owen had his own hardships getting past what happened on the island, Claire had struggled with nightmares and panic attacks. Owen had been by her side and helped her through each one - holding her when she woke up screaming in the middle of the night, and making her laugh to distract her when her chest started tightening, signaling an oncoming panic attack.

Claire opened her eyes and looked at Owen.

The hum of the engine made it a little easier, Claire thought, to say what she had to say next. What she should have said over a year ago when Owen offered her a life together. She was too scared to say it at the time, so she found an excuse. _"I'm not living in a van on the side of the road, Owen!"_ she had told him, pretending not to see the hurt that flashed briefly in his eyes.

"I love you, Owen. I'm sorry it has taken me another trip to hell and back to tell you that." She laughed, bitterly.

Owen smirked. "Took you long enough."

Claire smiled, the first true smile she could remember in days.

"Oh, like you're Dr. Phil when it comes to talking about how you feel?" She teased.

Owen was ready with a snappy comeback but the vehicle he had been following started slowing down, then came to a stop. The playfulness in his eyes faded away as he turned towards Claire.

"Claire Dearing, you're a pain in the ass sometimes, but I love you. _Know_ that." The unwavering conviction in his eyes made Claire's heart race. He'd never said those words to her before. Neither of them had.

Claire slid over in the bench seat and Owen grabbed her waist, pulling her forcefully towards him, capturing her lips with his in a passionate kiss. The kiss had an urgency behind it. Neither of them knew what was yet to come, and yet there was some peace in knowing they'd face it together.

As the vehicles in front of them started shutting off their engines, Owen locked eyes with Claire and she grabbed his hand.

"We _will_ make it through this," he reminded her, before shutting off the engine to face whatever came next.

 _The End_


End file.
